The Indian skipper Virat Kohli has played down the significance of the World Test Championship final. Kohli feels one Test match will not decide the best team in the world and they have a larger picture to look at in the next five years.
The Indian captain added that they have been rewarded for their hard work in the last four to five years in the red-ball version.
India has been the most consistent Test team in the last five years and they have been ranked as the number one team in the ICC Test rankings on a regular basis. New Zealand recently dethroned India from the top of the rankings table after winning the Test series against England by 1-0.
Meanwhile, India has one of the best bowling batteries in the world, which has been instrumental in the success of the team. Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma have done a fine job in the overseas conditions whereas Ashwin and Jadeja have improved their performances in foreign conditions.
Virat Kohli said in a video shared by ICC Twitter, “For us, this is not the final frontier, its just another feather to add in this big hat that we have created as a Test team. This is not just good cricket over the last 7-8 months.
This is hard work and toil for the last 4-5 years. Understanding what kind of players we need, the kind of bowling line up we need to win Test matches everywhere in the world. The kind of batsmen we need with different roles to play in the squad. We have our goals set on the larger vision for Indian cricket and this is just a game which has a bit more value added to it. But for us every Test match over the last five years probably has the same value for us.”
On the other hand, New Zealand captain Kane Williamson added that there is an element of satisfaction in reaching the World Test Championship final. The Kiwis won seven matches in the WTC cycle and finished at the second place in the points table with a winning percentage of 70.
“We have got a really exciting opportunity coming into the final against the best team in the world and that’s great. Real testament to the way the guys have held themselves and played for a long period of time relatively consistently, to get themselves into this position. When you are directly involved in it, there are some elements of satisfaction.”
The WTC final will begin at Ageas Bowl, Southampton from today.
